Props Where Props are Due

Regular readers of Youth Advocate Online know that I tend to complain … a lot. Hey, it’s not my fault. An advocate for youth has a lot to complain about in today’s world. But I try to be fair and balanced (where have I heard that before?), so it’s always both refreshing and a pleasure when I stumble upon something deserving of props.

Such is the case with a recent column I read that was reviewing a book for parents of teens. The book, by Michael J. Bradley is titled Yes, Your Teen is Crazy! Loving Your Kid Without Losing Your Mind (2003, Harbor Press). Bradley, an educational psychologist and therapist, postulates that new theories of brain development are the reason why teens seem unstable, irrational, and impulsive, and, according to the reviewer (I haven’t read the book), Bradley gives some good, practical advice for dealing with your teen.
None of this has anything to do with the props I want to give, however. As I said, I haven’t even read the book. It was the reviewer himself that is deserving of props.

The reviewer is a family psychologist named John Rosemond. He writes a syndicated column called Affirmative Parenting, which is where I came across the review. If you want to know more about John Rosemond, I’ve put a link to his site in the Web Resources section of the InterNetwork for Youth. Personally, I had never heard of him until I came across the review, and I haven’t had much time to spend on his website -- so, at this point, I can’t speak in favor of or against him. Never-the-less, he does deserve props for something he pointed out in his review of Bradley’s book.

Rosemond challenges Bradley’s basic premise; that being that most teenagers think and act like they’re crazy. Says Rosemond; “Let's face it, a significant number of teenagers don't act like they've got loose screws rattling around inside their craniums”. What a refreshing statement to see about teens! The prevailing wisdom is that most if not all teens are crazy people ready to run wild in the streets. The reality is that “a significant number” if not most teens are relatively sane and rational -- at least as much as any of us are. Sure, they have different, and briefer, experience with life, resulting in different perspectives and desires than most adults. But the common attitude that teens are irrational and out of control is simply not true, regardless of how it is supported by the media’s constant attention to the exceptions rather than the rules.

So, props to John Rosemond, for reminding us that when we talk about working in partnership with youth, we’re not talking about letting the inmates run the asylum. We’re talking about giving a sane and rational segment of our society a voice in our ... and their … world.